New Apartment - Part 1
I tend not to complain about things too much. I know that’s difficult for those of you who knew me as a kid (bless my parents) to believe, but I’ve calmed down quite a bit as I’ve aged. I’ve got a very even temperament now and an ability to put up with a lot before I speak my mind (it took me 8 months in Iraq before I lost it, much to the relief of my boss - he was wondering if anything actually phases me). And, face it, if you do international development, there’s going to be a lot to gripe about - but I asked to be here so what right do I have to gripe?
Housing here, as is housing at US Embassies world-wide (as far as I know), is run through a housing board. They pre-screen houses and apartments and take care of the leases and, more importantly, who goes where. Other than basically a right to a certain number of square feet based upon your pay-grade (oh yes, folks complain about a lower-pay-grade person getting an equivalent square footage as a superior . . .), you’re pretty much promised only decent and comparable housing.
Before I arrived I was informed that my “final” housing was not ready yet (they clean and repair each apt/house between occupants) and that I’d go into a temporary apartment. As far as apartments went, it was livable. For a long-term apartment it had some challenges (see below), but for a temporary place - not bad! Well, a couple of weeks into my time here the housing board met and I was informed that my “temporary” apartment was now my “permanent” housing quarters. And, when the USAID representative on the housing board asked what can I do if I don’t like it, she was told, “If he doesn’t like it he can always file an appeal!”
One of the regulations regarding housing is that, once your housing assignment is “permanent,” there are very few circumstances under which you can change it without cost (often fairly significant - cleaning, repairs, the cost to move, etc.) to you. Your only opportunity for a cost-free reconsideration of your housing assignment is to appeal the initial assignment within 30 days. After some encouragement from Ann, and the realization that I am not a bat (which means I like light), I decided to appeal.
Because it summarizes things very well, here is my appeal statement:
Appeal of IAHB Decision to Assign Sam & E Apartment #3 as Daniel Terrell's Permanent Quarters
Dear IAHB Chairperson, Board Members and Senior General Services Officer:
I hereby appeal the Interagency Housing Board's decision, made on January 26, 2012, to permanently assign me Sam & E Apartment #3 as my permanent quarters. I request that the IAHB reconsider its decision and assign me to different embassy quarters, either in Sam & E or in other quarters suitable for permanent occupancy.
Background
Before my departure to Monrovia, my USAID sponsor informed me that, while I had been assigned housing, my permanent quarters were not ready for occupancy and that I would have to reside temporarily in other quarters. After my arrival, my section leader again informed me that she had been repeatedly assured that my assignment to Sam & E Apartment #3 was only temporary.
During the week of January 23, the USAID representative to the IAHB notified me that the IAHB would be meeting to discuss, among other things, my permanent quarters. She also noted that there are several apartments within Sam & E and elsewhere that are close to being ready for occupancy. Following that meeting, she informed me that the IAHB had permanently assigned me to Sam & E Apartment #3. She also informed me that I have a right to appeal the IAHB's decision.
Argument
Sam & E Apartment #3 is not suitable as a permanent residence given the fact that its location and proximity to near-by walls by the majority of the apartment's windows makes the apartment exceptionally dark throughout the day and because every view includes near-by rolls of concertina wire. Either of these conditions alone will challenge the morale and mental health of a long-term occupant; together they create the feeling that one is living in a prison, if not a dungeon.
The darkness of Apartment #3 is due in large part to the fact that the rear of the building is at or below ground level and that there is a wall that extends above window height that is approximately 6 feet away from the edge of the rear and side walls. That wall runs behind the living room and a master bedroom window at the rear of the apartment and wraps around the apartment to obscure the other master bedroom window and part of the middle bedroom window.
Due to the height of the wall, no other apartments on the north side of Sam & E have light obscuring structures similarly situated. The conditions of Sam & E Apartment #3 are unique. As a result, the two rooms I use most – my living room and my bedroom – are in a word, gloomy.
And if the lack of light is not depressing enough, the views from each and every window resemble those of a prison cell more than an apartment. I am not referring to the security bars that exist for many residences in developing countries; I am referring to the rolls of concertina wire that are either attached directly to the security bars (my living room window) or that are located on the top of the wall directly in front of each window. There is no escape from the concertina wire.
For the Board's convenience, I include the following photographs taken from each of Sam & E Apartment #3's windows.
Living Room Window
Master bedroom main window.
Master bedroom side window.
Middle bedroom.
Third bedroom window.
Kitchen view.
When I first moved into the apartment I considered the apartment's dimness and the unavoidable view of concertina wire a mild inconvenience, bearable because I knew it to be temporary. As housing for temporary or TDY stays, Apartment #3 is adequate. As a permanent residence, however, it is not. There is no escaping the sense of isolation and enclosure anywhere in the residence.
I do not raise this appeal lightly. These conditions are not a mere inconvenience. I spent 12 months of 2010 – 2011 in Baghdad, Iraq. There, our movements outside of the Embassy Compound was greatly restricted, yet I knew that I could always open the curtains of my window and fill my room with light and, while the view was of another residential building about 100 feet away, it did not instill in me the sense of confinement that the walls and concertina wire of Sam & E Apartment #3 do.
To reside in this apartment for several weeks or even a month seems reasonable; however the thought of living here for one or two years seems absurd. Would you like to live in this apartment?
Request
I hereby request that the Interagency Housing Board reconsider its decision to permanently assign me to Sam & E Apartment #3 and to assign me to more suitable quarters. I also urge the IAHB to seriously consider whether Sam & E Apartment # 3 should be used for any purpose other than for temporary quarters for the reasons I have provided above. While conditions surrounding Embassy Monrovia are continually improving, it is still a hardship posting. The challenges to one's morale over the months of one's tour of duty should not include having negative feelings at the thought of returning to one's home.
I look forward to your decision.
[to be continued . . .]